Abstract: A system may include a plurality of isolators to transfer data signals across an isolation barrier, one of the signals including a clock signal. A delay circuit may be included to receive the clock signal and provide a delayed clock signal that lags the clock signal by an amount representing a delay across the isolation barrier. The delayed clock signal may be delayed by a round trip propagation delay over the isolation barrier. The delayed clock signal may be used as a reference to read data sent over the isolation barrier.

Abstract: A circuit may include a detector, an approximator, a look-up table, a scaler, and an integrator. The detector may generate a first difference signal and a second different signal based on an input and an output. The approximator may generate, using a one's complement operation, an index based on approximated modulus values of the first difference signal and the second difference signal. The look-up table may select one of a plurality of scaling factors based upon the index. The scaler may adjust the first difference signal and the second difference signal based on the selected scaling factor. The integrator may generate the output based on the adjusted first difference signal and the adjusted second difference signal.

Abstract: A circuit may include a queue, a monitor, and a controller. The queue may receive and store a plurality of commands from a plurality of buses to access a shared set of registers. The monitor may monitor the plurality of commands in the queue to determine whether a period of time needs to be reserved for selected commands from one of the plurality of buses. The controller, if the period of time needs to be reserved, based on the period of time determined by the monitor, may disable acceptance of commands from buses other than the one of the plurality of buses, may execute the selected commands for the one of the plurality of buses, and may allow more than one of the plurality of buses access to results of the selected commands.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a switching scheme for tri-level unit elements with ISI mitigation. A tri-level unit element may include a first and second current source and a plurality of switches arranged to form three circuit branches between the first and the second current source. The first circuit branch may include two switches connected in parallel between the first current source and a first output terminal and two switches connected in parallel between the second current source and the first output terminal. The second circuit branch may include two switches connected in parallel between the first current source and a second output terminal and two switches connected in parallel between the second current source and the second output terminal. The third circuit branch may include switches to couple the first current source and the second current source to a dump node.

Abstract: A miniature loudspeaker may include a driver module with a flexible carrier having a proximal portion arranged within the perimeter of the frame and a distal portion arranged outside the perimeter of the frame, the flexible carrier carrying an output amplifier. The flexible carrier may be provided with electrically conductive traces connecting an amplifier input with input contact pads placed on the distal portion. The flexible carrier may be provided with electrically conductive traces connecting an amplifier output with output contact pads placed at the proximal portion. The output amplifier may be arranged on the proximal portion of the flexible carrier within the perimeter of the frame. The proximal portion of the flexible carrier may be rigidly attached to the static part. The output contact pads may be connected with the voice coil through flexible lead wires.

Abstract: A method according to an embodiment of a filter design tool is provided and includes receiving filter parameters for an analog filter through a user interface, where the filter parameters include an optimization parameter related to an application requirement of the analog filter, optimizing the filter for the optimization parameter, calculating a design output based on the optimized filter, and displaying the design output on the user interface. The method can further include receiving viewing parameters that specify the design output to be displayed. In various embodiments, the user interface includes an input area, a viewing area and a window area in one or more pages, where the input area is contiguous to the viewing area in at least one page. The filter parameters can be entered in the input area and the design output is calculated and displayed in the contiguous viewing area substantially immediately.

Abstract: One or more electrodes that interact with a movable mass in a MEMS device are anchored or otherwise supported from both the top and bottom and optionally also from one or more of the lateral sides other than the transduction side (i.e., the side of the electrode facing the mass) in order to severely restrict movement of the electrodes such as from interaction with the mass and/or external forces.

Abstract: Manufactured capped MEMS device wafers are tested for hermeticity on a vacuum prober at differing pressures or on a wafer prober at differing temperatures. Resonant frequency testing is conducted. Leaking MEMS devices are distinguished from the remaining MEMS devices on the basis of quality factor (“Q”) measurements obtained from the resonant frequency testing.

Abstract: Time-of-flight technology may be combined with optical detection technology identifying an angle of a light pulse emitted from a transmitter and reflected off an object based on a proportion of the reflected light pulse detected at each of at least two light sensors. The optical detection technology may include a light detector with two or more light sensors arranged at different orientations with respect to an aperture in the detector so that each sensor is able to detect a different subset of the light passing through the aperture. The effective angle of the light passing through aperture may then be calculated from the proportion of light detected at the each of the sensors. The effective angle information may be combined with a calculated time-of-flight of the light pulse to accurately identify a position of the object relative to the detector in two or three dimensions.

Abstract: An optical detector may include an epitaxial layer having a continuous surface provided on a surface of a substrate. Two or more electrodes may be arranged at different positions in the epitaxial layer so that the electron-hole pairs generated in the epitaxial layer from incident light passing through the aperture and reaching the epitaxial layer have a varying probability of being collected by each of the electrodes as the angle of the incident light changes. The electrodes may be arranged at different depths in the epitaxial layer. The epitaxial layer may be continuous and have a continuous aperture-facing surface between each of the electrodes associated with a particular aperture to ensure that more light passing through the aperture is absorbable in the epitaxial layer and subsequently detectable by the electrodes. This may result in improved light detection capabilities.

Abstract: The system may include a pixel array, a selector, a sampler, and a converter. The pixel array may generate output signals that representing radiation incident upon the pixel array. The selector may select one of the output signals. The sampler may sample the selected output signal. The converter may generate a digital signal based upon the selected output signal. The sampler may include a charge integrator that compensates for parasitic capacitance of the selector by selecting a first feedback capacitance to obtain a first sample, and after obtaining the first sample, selecting a second feedback capacitance to obtain a second sample. The first feedback capacitance may be greater than the second feedback capacitance.

Abstract: One or more conductive shielding plates are formed in a standard ASIC wafer top metal layer, e.g., for blocking cross-talk from MEMS device structure(s) on the MEMS wafer to circuitry on the ASIC wafer when the MEMS device is capped directly by the ASIC wafer in a wafer-level chip scale package. Generally speaking, a shielding plate should be at least slightly larger than the MEMS device structure it is shielding (e.g., a movable MEMS structure such as an accelerometer proof mass or a gyroscope resonator), and the shielding plate cannot be in contact with the MEMS device structure during or after wafer bonding. Thus, a recess is formed to ensure that there is sufficient cavity space away from the top surface of the MEMS device structure. The shielding plate is electrically conductive and can be biased, e.g., to the same voltage as the opposing MEMS device structure in order to maintain zero electrostatic attraction force between the MEMS device structure and the shielding plate.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed related to tuning a resonant frequency of an LC circuit. In some implementations, the LC circuit can be embodied in a low noise amplifier (LNA) of a receiver. The receiver can include a component configured to generate an indicator of received signal strength indication (RSSI) of a radio frequency (RF) signal received by the receiver. A control block can adjust the resonant frequency of the LC circuit based at least in part on the indicator of RSSI. As another example, the receiver can include an oscillator, such as a VCO, separate from the LC circuit that can be used to tune the resonant frequency of the LC circuit. These apparatus can compensate for variation in a zero imaginary component of an impedance across the LC circuit.

Abstract: A MEMS device has a movable beam, a differential capacitor with a movable electrode that moves in response to the displacement of the movable beam and that is disposed between two stationary electrodes, and a voltage circuit for applying a first voltage to the first stationary electrode, second voltage to the second stationary electrode, and a third voltage to the moveable electrode. The MEMS device also has a monitor operably coupled with the movable beam to monitor the displacement of the movable beam. In some embodiments, the monitor may monitor the distance between the movable electrode and at least one of the stationary electrodes. The MEMS device further has a voltage reducing circuit operatively coupled with the monitor, the movable electrode, and the stationary electrodes.

Abstract: An integrated circuit device comprises a common-gated dual-oxide MOSFET including a protective device and a MOSFET. A common gate electrode serves as a gate electrode of the protective device and as a gate of the MOSFET. The protective device comprises a first gate dielectric having a first thickness over a first channel region and the MOSFET comprises a second gate dielectric thicker than the first gate dielectric over a second channel region. During a plasma process, a first current can flow through the first dielectric that is higher than a second current through the second dielectric.

Abstract: A multiphase mixer using a rotary traveling wave oscillator is disclosed. In addition to the oscillator, the mixer includes first and second mixer circuits. The rotary traveling wave oscillator generates a first set of N/2 phase and a second set of N/2 phases, where each phase has a frequency that is a factor of N/2 less than the incoming radio frequency signal. The first set of phases are sine signals and the second set of phases are cosine signals. The first mixer circuit generates a first down-converted signal from the first set of phases and the incoming rf signal. The second mixer circuit generates a second down-converted signal from the second set of phases and the rf signal.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a radio frequency (RF) amplifier having a trifilar transformer coupled to a gain device in two negative feedback paths. The trifilar transformer includes a first winding, a second winding and a third winding, a first dielectric core is disposed between the first winding and the second winding, and a second dielectric core is disposed between the second winding and the third winding. A first winding ratio between the first winding and the second winding combined with a second winding ratio between the second winding and the third winding affects a total gain of the RF amplifier. In a specific embodiment, the gain device is a transistor, the first winding is coupled to a base of the transistor, the second winding is coupled to a collector of the transistor, and the third winding is coupled to an emitter of the transistor.

Abstract: A sensor polling unit for microprocessor integration comprises a configuration logic block associated with each of a plurality of external sensor devices. Each configuration logic block issues a read command for predetermined sensor data registers of the associated external sensor device via a read trigger supplied by a trigger generator. A global timer based on a microprocessor clock signal supplies a global time value to the trigger generators. A polling state machine is operatively coupled to the configuration logic blocks for receipt of respective read commands, and issues a corresponding read command to the external sensor device through a standardized bi-directional data communication interface connected to the external sensor device. The polling state machine receives register data transmitted by the external sensor device in response to the read command and transmits the received register data to a microprocessor accessible data memory area for storage.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention may provide a string DAC with charge boosting. The string DAC may include multiple strings, such as an MSB DAC and an LSB DAC, for converting a digital word into a corresponding analog voltage. The string DAC may also include a charge boost system to couple a charge into or out of the DAC during a code transition, such as a MSB code transition. The string DAC may operate in a break-before-make connection technique where all relevant connections are substantially open-circuited before new connections are made. Therefore, the charge boost may shorten the settling time of impedance elements in the string DAC between code transitions and may substantially reduce (or eliminate) glitches.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention may provide a multi-string DAC with leakage current cancellation. A leakage cancellation circuit may be coupled to output node(s) of the—multi-string DAC. The leakage cancellation circuit may replicate leakage current present at the coupled output node(s) and generate a corresponding complementary signal, a leakage cancellation signal. The leakage cancellation signal may be injected into the coupled output node(s) to cancel (or reduce) the net impact of the leakage current.